Developed by Apple Inc., M4V has been familiarized by a lot of Mac users. Quite similar to MP4, M4V video format is used to present a good balance between video quality and video size. Even though M4V was released by Apple, sometimes it is so hard to open and play M4V files by iTunes or even the default media player QuickTime. The M4V file can only be opened when the file meet some specific requirements. Therefore, playing M4V file on Mac has been an annoying issue to a lot of Mac users. Are there any good ways to play M4V with ease and accuracy? Now let’s put our focus to the solutions.

Part 1: Introduction to M4V

What’s M4V format? Why is it so difficult to be opened and played even with the powerful Mac media player QuickTime? M4V is a video format applied to video on-demand websites and mobile handheld devices. It is a special type of MP4 format with suffix MP4 or M4V with H264 video coding and AAC audio coding. Developed by Apple, M4V format is based on the MPEG-4 video container. This format is used by the iPod, iPhone, and PlayStation Portable. Using H264 high definition coding, compared with the traditional On2 VP6, H263, Divx, etc., M4V can achieve higher definition in a smaller size. The M4V format is also known as Apple’s video Podcast format.

One of the most special things about M4V should lie in the Apple’s FairPlay DRM protection inserted while it is created. The main reason behind this protection is to prevent others from viewing files on the devices that are not made by Apple. Therefore, in order to successfully open and play M4V, your Mac must be authorized that was used to purchase videos. But sometimes it is weird that even iTunes or QuickTime can’t play it smoothly. In order to solve the problem, in this article, other media players with advanced features will be mentioned to play M4V files successfully.

Part 2: Why Should You Download a M4V Player on Your Mac

Just as mentioned above, users may still encounter that M4V can’t be opened or played by iTunes or QuickTime. In order to provide yourself with an all-inclusive solution to the problem, you had better prepare another piece of M4V player on your Mac as the alternative. Actually, the reasons to download another M4V player lie in the following aspect.
Sometime, M4V files may not be bought or downloaded from the iTunes store, then the M4V files will not be guaranteed that they can be played by iTunes because some other codes may lose or are not complete. M4V can be played by the authorized iTunes which means you can only play the M4V with iTunes once you have logged in your iTunes account. If you don’t get an iTunes account, then you can’t open the M4V file with iTunes still. In such a case, other M4V players will be the alternatives.

Part 3: 5 Best Players to Play M4V Files on Mac

What would you do if you fail to open and play M4V file with iTunes or QuickTime on Mac? How do I play M4V files on Mac? Well, the most direct way is to use other M4V player as the alternative. The M4V players for Mac vary, next I will select the most popular 5 M4V players for your references.

1. Leawo Blu-ray Player

On the top of my recommendation list, Leawo Blu-ray Player has to be listed here. As one of the best region-free player programs, Leawo Blu-ray Player can provide users with all kinds of video playing solutions which supports Blu-ray, DVD, 4K, ISO, M4V, AVI, MPEG, MOV and other digital video formats. With advanced image and audio processing technology, Leawo Free Blu-ray Player software is one of the best 4k players providing high quality image and stereo audio enjoyment. You don’t need to worry about any Blu-ray region codes or copyright protection issues as Leawo Blu-ray Player can easily solve them for you.

2. VLC Player

Well, you are not standing in the wrong place. VLC player, as a popular media player for Windows system, can easily offer you the direct solutions to play M4V files. VLC is able to support various digital formats, including M4V, AVI, MOV, FLV, WMV and so on. Compared with QuickTime, VLC player is better in video playback performance. It is an open-source player that can allow you to play Blu-ray discs or other digital videos on your computer immediately. Also, it can allow you to stream these videos from the Web. Sometimes your QuickTime is out of control, you can choose VLC player as the good alternative. Furthermore, if users would like to add subtitle file or convert video formats, VLC can be here to meet your requirements.

3. 5K Player

This free media player for Mac can be your good option if you really desire to watch a fantastic movie on your Mac. 5K Player is quite worth trying. Providing Hollywood style watching experience at home, 5K Player can support DVD, Blu-ray as well as other common videos. It supports all kinds of digital video format, of course including M4V as well as MKV, WMV, 4K, AVI and so on. This multi-functional media player can be your professional choice for Mac. While processing with HD videos, it is also very smooth and you will not be puzzled by the blurred video quality of the wrong encoding. Furthermore, it can be able to download YouTube videos.

4. Elmedia Video Player

Elemedia Video Player for Mac give users a lot of HD video playback supports. As a free media player to play M4V files on Mac, Elmedia can be compatible with all kinds of digital formats, ranging from the common video formats to DVDs and Blu-rays. With this media player, you are allowed to play audio track including external subtitle files. Furthermore, if you would like to edit the M4V or other videos you are playing, this player can meet your needs, and you can rotate videos, change aspect ratio and flip M4V videos with it. But this video player is not good at the point that users will receive many ads if you are trying the free version.

5. Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player

The last one of M4V player Mac users can adopt is Aissesoft Blu-ray Player. This player is also powerful in playing M4V with good video and audio quality retained. It is also quite excellent in playing Blu-ray videos with a simple interface and easy playing instructions. Besides, it can also be able to play common DVDs, UHD 4K, and other kinds of digital formats. But it is a bit expensive whose price is up to $45. Even though Aissesoft Blu-ray Player can easily play M4V files on Mac, it is quite space-consuming and someone has reported that nearly 40% CPU capacity will be occupied once the player is running.

Part 4: How to Burn the Slideshows with Old Photos to DVD

In comparison, you came to be attracted by Leawo Blu-ray Player most and you would like to set it as the default player on Mac. How to complete the change? Next, you will clearly know the steps by the following tutorial.

Step 1: Download Leawo Blu-ray Player for Mac on your computer and install it on your computer.

Leawo Free Blu-ray Player

☉ 100% free movie player to play Ultra HD 4K, 1080P Full HD and 720P video without quality loss.

Step 2: Select a video to play and right click on the video where you can see many options. Click "Open With" to choose Leawo Blu-ray Player (once you installed it on your Mac, then you can see it on the drop-down list). Once you clicked the "Leawo Blu-ray Player", then Mac will change Leawo Blu-ray Player as the default media player.

Step 3: In order to make sure that changes work, you can refresh your Mac. Next time, when you play other digital videos, Leawo Blu-ray Player will be used as the default media player.

Part 5: Conclusion

It will be very frequent for you to obtain M4V files since you are running on the Mac system. Now you will have adequate options to play M4V files aside from the default media player. With the above recommended M4V players, you can easily solve the problems that M4V files can’t be opened on Mac. But if you really prefer to download the most worthy player, then I will recommend you to download Leawo Blu-ray Player strongly due to its comprehensive functions in playing all kinds of digital formats and customized video editing features.